The Monroe City Council voted Tuesday night to temporarily legalize roller skating and skateboarding in downtown Monroe, pending a new town ordinance.
Over the past month, several people have been cited for skateboarding downtown, but courts have dismissed the citations because the ordinance did not include penalties, allowing offenders to skate by without punishment.
Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to repeal the ordinance altogether at the recommendation of Senior Staff Attorney Terry Sholar.
Sholar said town staff will now draft a new ordinance that includes penalties for council to consider at a later meeting.
Council Member Franco MeGee said he would also like the town to look into creating a skate park or dedicated skate lanes.
"I don't want us to be the bad guys that's trying to not have skaters in our downtown. I think that's inevitable," McGee said. "So what are we doing to make it safer for them to be in our downtown?"
Mayor Robert Burns and Council Member Surluta Anthony said they agreed, with the mayor asking "what are we going to do in return" for skaters if the town passes a new ordinance with penalties?
"We should consider doing a skate park somewhere," Anthony said. "That's worth giving some thought."
